Vigyanshaala International

Kalpana: She for STEM is an online mentoring-career coaching fellowship designed to successfully place every fellow on a high confidence STEM path.

  • Bronze Certified 2023
  • 80G
  • 12A
  • CSR-1
Transparency Rating:
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About

  • Headquarters

    Delhi

  • Since

    2019

VigyanShaala is driven by a belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to create a better world through science. We are on the mission to enable Read morethe innovators of tomorrow to achieve their dreams by bringing science, technology, and learning to their doorstep today. VigyanShaala is determined to create equality in STEM education and opportunities for the most marginalised across India. We believe that, if given a chance, the future Ramanujams, CV Ramans, Janaki Ammals and Kalpana Chawlas will come from previously underserved communities. We are working to build one of the largest inclusive global communities in STEM. Through carefully-developed ecosystems, we can eradicate inequalities and help even the most marginalized-- those who must innovate to survive-- to actually thrive in STEM careers.  The world faces so many new scientific challenges, and we believe the solutions to these lie in bringing new minds to the table.  Our humble beginnings are rooted in a volunteer movement started in 2015 by Indian graduate students based across the globe to take the magic of hands-on science to the remotest corners of India. We have engaged 14,000+ school and college students and trained several researchers in science popularization through 55+ workshops across the length and breadth of India. We have come a long way, from a volunteer group engaged in science popularization and communication to set up a not-for-profit organization.


Issue

The World Economic Forum predicts that more than 80% of future jobs will require advanced STEM skills. (https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/digest/). But the opportunities are simply not available for everyone. In India, women make up fewer than 15% of the STEM workforce (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000368485 ). This is despite having one of highest percentage enrolments (48.8%) of women in STEM at undergraduate levels. That is, two out of three girls who study STEM don’t make it to the STEM workforce. This drop could be attributed to several barriers they face. 1.Lack of relatable role models 2.Gender stereotypes 3.Insufficient STEM experience 5.Low self-efficacy amongst girls 6.Family-Work conflict. That’s why our mission at VigyanShaala is to enable the innovators of tomorrow to achieve their dreams by bringing science, technology, and learning to their doorstep today.


Action

Our program Kalpana is an online mentoring-career coaching fellowship designed to successfully place every fellow on a high confidence STEM path. It helps enhance the retention of women in STEM Careers by facilitating direct interactions with role models, building support systems, career road mapping with expert mentoring, and providing knowledge about STEM careers. Our program Kalpana brings weekly interaction with women STEM leaders, a rigorous mentoring approach, and career readiness modules to women studying STEM at the University. Each of the barriers faced by the girls are specifically mitigated through the program  Low visibility of relatable role models in STEM → Mentorship by leading female scientists  Stereotyping of women’s abilities → Programs & sessions with women leaders in STEM fields  Stereotyping of STEM work → Career planning, masterclasses, and 21st century STEM skills  Insufficient STEM experience → Hands-on experiments - Million Maker Girls by 2030!  Low agency amongst girls → Scholarships and connections to pathways to higher education  Family-work conflicts → Workshops designed to prevent early marriage and build agency.

Demographies Served

Cause Area

Impact

In the three years since inception, we have reached 6000+ girls, from 22 Indian states supported by 250+ global mentors nurturing them towards STEM careers. Fellows in the program reported significant increase in their short- and long-term career clarity and readiness for future STEM careers. During the impact analysis of 3 cohorts, a sample of 576 girls showed a 3-point increase (on scale of 10) in their Career and Vision Clarity before and after the program and a 3.5 -point increase on their Career Readiness. These attributes demonstrate greater confidence in self-assessed STEM competencies and networking abilities. For 83% of the respondents, it was their first interaction with a STEM role model and 97% of them found these interactions inspiring. With the support of mentors, 100+ fellows have won global fellowships such as Quad fellowship, Mitacs, Commonwealth fellowship, got selected at global/national universities for higher education and internship, Cambridge University, IITs, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and University of Geneva etc. We are already bringing the voices of our girls in STEM to the forefronts of policy as an active contributor in the G-20 EMPOWER, the G20 Alliance for the Empowerment and Progression of Women’s Economic Representation.

Programs

  • Kalpana: SHE for STEM

    Kalpana: She for STEM is an online mentoring-career coaching fellowship designed to successfully place every fellow on a high confidence STEM path. Our state-of-the-art mentoring curriculum is designed and delivered by global STEM professionals in active partnership with the mentees. With a strong emphasis on the elements of Individual Development Plan, Self-Efficacy strengthening and Research Grade Experimental Projects, these experiences and skills equip our fellows for marching into a high confidence trajectory towards STEM jobs or quality higher education. By 2028, we will build an active ecosystem to mentor 100,000 aspiring girls in STEM, boosting female innovation, productivity, and pathways to STEM higher education and careers.

Impact Metrics

  • Number of Beneficiaries Reached

    Program Name

    Kalpana: SHE for STEM

    Year-wise Metrics
    • 2021-22 1000
    • 2022-23 3000

Leadership Team

  • Dr Darshana Joshi

    Founder and CEO

  • DR. VIJAY VENUGOPALAN

    Founder and Managing Trustee

  • Anushila Chatterjee

    Lead - Program and Curriculum Design

Demographics & Structure

  • No. of Employees

    6-20

M&E

  • Internal, External Assessors

    No

Policies

  • Ethics and Transparency Policies

    No

  • Formal CEO Oversight & Compensation Policy

    No

Political & Religious Declarations

  • On Affiliation if any

    No

  • On Deployment Bias if any

    No

Registration Details

  • PAN Card

    AADTV0336R

  • Registration ID

    491/Book No. 4/Vol. no 2110

  • VO ID / Darpan ID

    DL/2019/0247838

  • 12A

    AADTV0336RE20211

  • 80G

    AADTV0336RF20211

  • FCRA

    Not Available

  • CSR Registration Number

    CSR00017961

Location

  • Headquarters

    C 432 Avantika Sector 1 Rohini, 110085

    Directions
  • Offices in Cities

Other Details

  • Type & Sub Type

    Non-profit
    Trust

Financial Details

 Income / Expenses
  • 2022-23

    Income
    Rs.10,770,852
    Expenses
    Rs.
    Admin Expenses
    Rs.None
    Program Expenses
    Rs.None
    Tip: Click on any value above to exclude it.